Vikings' JJ McCarthy reacts to Sam Darnold magic vs. Texans
Like the rest of us, Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy has been watching his teammate Sam Darnold play a marvelous, cerebral game against the Houston Texans in Week 3. A few minutes left into the fourth quarter, Darnold has passed for 179 yards and three touchdowns, all three to different players. Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones and Jalen Nailor have each collected a touchdown pass as the Vikings are in control with a 21-7 lead. McCarthy astutely shared his thoughts on Darnold via his X social media account.
" Sam Darnold is good at football "
During the game, Darnold went to the injury tent for a lower leg injury but returned after one play.
What JJ McCarthy can learn from Sam Darnold's experience as a former first-round pick
McCarthy, the Vikings' 2024 first-round pick, can learn a lot from Darnold's journey.
Now in his seventh year, it seems to be coming together for Darnold in a way that eluded the rest of his career. In a discussion with ESPN's Kevin Seifert, the 27-year-old signal-caller explained how far he's come as a football player and person.
"I've learned a lot," Darnold said per ESPN's Kevin Seifert. "I've had experiences where bad things have happened. And I think the more you play football, the more you understand you can't control everything out there and things are going to happen in the game."
"But you've got to understand that you've got to put your head down and continue to work and continue to grind throughout these games," Darnold continued. "Because at the end of the day, it's not about what happened in the past or on the previous play, but it's about the next one."
While all due credit belongs to Darnold, it's important to not forget the job done by head coach Kevin O'Connell. This Vikings team was one many viewed as a group of overachievers after their run to the 2022 NFL postseason. O'Connell appears to have rebounded the team after a disappointing 7-10 2023 season. They allowed Danielle Hunter to move on to the Houston Texans and retooled with Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.
O'Connell takes a one-play-at-a-time approach, and it's working for Minnesota, as per his comments to NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
"Yeah we just gotta, you know, control what we can as far as what's the next play, what's the very next snap," O'Connell continued. "Second and what, first and 10, third and goal. Whatever it is, worry about that snap. What's my job, how do I help this team move the football forward, score points, protect the football. It's in the little details that bore some folks out there sometimes, but when it comes to playing this position he off to a great start."
The Vikings are on their way to their first 3-0 start to a season since 2016.
